A murder suspect may have been spotted on Tyneside after police appealed through the Chronicle for help.

A murder suspect may have been spotted on Tyneside after police appealed through the Chronicle for help.

Police have received a string of phone calls to say Tony Karim is in the area.

Detectives launched a nationwide search for Karim, himself a refugee from Iraq, after the murder of 29-year-old Sheik Mohamed in Hull city centre two weeks ago.

They took the unusual step of naming Karim, and releasing a photograph, because they fear he may be trying to leave the country.

The 19-year-old, who is 5ft 7in tall, is known to have a brother in Germany as well as family back in Iraq.

Officers from Humberside Police have already travelled to Dover to inform the port authorities.

But detectives received information that Karim could be hiding out in Newcastle, possibly with an ex-girlfriend.

Now detectives are travelling to the region after receiving information that Karim could have been spotted since we published the story.

Mr Mohamed, who had been living in the Hull area for three months after fleeing the violence in his own country, was spotted by CCTV operatives slumped in a doorway shortly after 1.30am on Thursday, July 24.

He was taken to Hull Royal Infirmary by ambulance but died shortly after 2am.

Police believe Mr Mohamed had been drinking in a bar opposite shortly before he was killed.

A post-mortem concluded Mr Mohamed had been "violently assaulted".

Police have taken the unusual step of requesting a second, independent post-mortem, to allow the release of Mr Mohamed's body so his family can bury him back home in Sudan.

A spokeswoman for Humberside Police said: "Detectives will be travelling to Newcastle within the next few days after we received a number of phone calls from the general public in Newcastle saying they have seen someone that fits Tony Karim's description."

Anyone who knows where Karim is, or who has any information about Mr Mohamed's murder, should call Humberside Police on (01482) 326111 or Northumbria Police on (0191) 2146555.